Too Beautiful
by Jimli
Summary: The arranged marriage between Princess Penepé and Prince Renaldo was much-anticipated. An alliance between the troll kingdom of Trova and the smaller human kingdom of Umbria seemed like a win-win situation until the Trovan princess declared the Umbrian prince too handsome to marry. *Too* handsome? Who had ever heard of such an argument before?
1. Chapter 1

_**A/N: **__A little fairy tale that came to me. It's supposed to be rather light and funny, and I hope it manages those attributes. It is complete, though I'm not quite as happy with the last chapter as I am the rest. For now, it has seven chapters, and I will post a new one in a couple of days or so._

_Please let me know what you think!_

_Jimli :D_

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**Too Beautiful**

**Chapter 1**

In the kingdom of Trova, the royal family was rejoicing because a baby girl had just been born to them. Relations between their land and their neighbors had been very strained, as things often were between trolls and humans, and the princess was just the thing to help with the diplomacy. After all, what better way to ally two kingdoms than an arranged marriage?

Unfortunately, most of their neighbors were...less than enthusiastic about such a proposal.

King Aleder didn't know why, really. The little princess wasn't much now, but his queen, Esmelda, was a beauty, not just by troll standards, either. More than one human king and prince had commented on her comeliness. That one caliph from the Southern Empire of Rabashstan had even tried to make off with her after a diplomatic meeting!

One kingdom, a tiny valley country to the southeast, took Aleder's offer of uniting Princess Penepé with their own young addition, Prince Renaldo. It wasn't even a surprise why, either.

Prince Renaldo hailed from Umbria, which in addition to having Trova along its northwestern border, managed to border three other large kingdoms, Baldic, Thessia, and Latia.

Two of those, Baldic and Latia, also wrapped around Umbria to touch Trova. King Aleder had many, many meetings and talks with the kings from those countries and had found them disagreeable sorts. Admittedly, he didn't know much about the third country, except diplomatic gossip, but he figured odds were they weren't much different.

Umbria, he knew, had problems with these bigger neighbors for having the audacity to be autonomous, instead of merging with one of them. "Merging" here meant "being invaded and added to the larger kingdom's conquests".

Trova, thankfully, was sizeable enough to hold its own against the grumbles of war and "merging".

All-in-all, though, Aleder was not unhappy with the idea of allying with Umbria. Once other human kingdoms saw how well this alliance went, he had no doubt that they'd drop their torch-and-pitchfork mentality about the troll kingdom.

Play dates were arranged as soon as travel was comfortably feasible for the young ones, and the first meeting went well enough.

The prince and princess were only one, but they swapped out rattles to chew happily on the other's toy. That was a good sign, right?

King Aleder's uneasiness grew when Penepé turned 12.

Despite her mother's good looks, Aleder was quickly becoming convinced that his daughter wasn't going to be the beauty he'd hoped. Normally, that wouldn't be an issue, of course. She was smart, funny, clever, tall: all good traits for a being. She was also honest, if sometimes blunt or harsh about it. She wasn't spoiled, and though he'd be hard-pressed to say she was sweet, she was kind. Just sympathetic and caring enough without being too soft-hearted, especially considering the tough decisions that royalty often dealt with.

She was betrothed to a human, though. Humans were fussy enough about appearance and a troll, even a beautiful one, could be a hard sell, he'd found. And Princess Penepé _wasn't_ beautiful. She wasn't even pretty, if he were honest and objective. (A tough call only a good king could make.)

Then again, all beings went through those awkward phases as they grew older, maybe that was it.

She had a few years to sort it out, without worrying about King Theodore and Queen Marla's thoughts, though. They and Prince Renaldo were touring their own country, followed by extensive trips to neighboring countries, as well as some not-so-neighboring.

Queen Marla was part of the old royal lines, meaning if there was a human royal within a bird's flight, she was a cousin or better to him. Not only was there a lot of family to visit, but their arrangement with Trova had delayed quite a few trips while Renaldo was younger, and now it was catch up time.

A well-timed one, in Aleder's opinion. Not only would it alleviate some of his worries, but with a nice, current, friendly visit to foreign places and family, Marla and Theodore could solidify relations that had become shaky or distant before the alliance with Trova came together. A tighter network of familial relations for better diplomacy with Trova.

Renaldo was slightly older than Penepé, so he was already seventeen, though only just, when they returned, and the first thing the royals decided to do was ensure that the marriage was still on schedule for after the princess's seventeenth birthday.

All three Trovan royals dressed nicely, prepared to receive these most special of guests.

King Aleder greeted all three Umbrian royals in the front meeting room while Queen Esmelda and Princess Penepé finished getting ready.

Inwardly, Aleder frowned as he looked over Renaldo.

He was somewhat darker complexioned with dark brown hair and dark blue eyes. Having known many, many humans, he knew the prince's features weren't in themselves so unusual, but exotic in the combination. A beauty.

Princess Penepé was not.

Before he could reflect more on this, the queen and princess came into the room. Aleder was surprised to see Renaldo's eyes light up until he realized the young man was fixated on his wife, not his daughter.

"My dear Penepé," he began.

(Aleder winced at how rich and melodious his voice was.)

"How simply beautifully you've grown!"

The queen smiled and laughed.

"Oh you shameless flatterer, Renaldo!"

She turned her attention to Penepé.

"Still a charming little rogue, isn't he, Penepé?"

Renaldo was grateful for the queen's diplomatic and clever cover of his mistake, and he turned his smile to the princess instead.

Aleder looked between the queen and the princess.

Esmelda had a face shaped like a raindrop; Penepé's was shaped like a pumpkin.

Esmelda's eyes were large and round, with an interesting lime green color; Penepé's were lopsided, the right one larger than the left, and the two different colors didn't help since the right one was a bright, vivid green and the left one was a deep, murky yellow. Her mouth, too, was lopsided, one side turned down, one turned up.

Esmelda was short by troll standards, a petite thing, though she was comparable in size to the human prince. Penepé was tall and broad even for a male troll; she towered over the prince by a foot and was just as broad.

Aleder was prepared for the reaction, he braced himself, wondering how tactfully the neighboring monarchs were going to cover the prince's next words.

"I apologize for my mistake, princess. I should have recognized the queen's beauty. I simply was taken aback by the robust charm of your person and assumed such maturity belonged to the queen."

He smiled.

The princess frowned.

"I'm not sure I want to marry you," she said.

"Why? Have I offended you, princess? If so, I give you my sincerest-"

"No, you've been kind enough, I suppose, and you gracefully covered your mistake with my mother. I don't not want to marry you for that. I don't want to marry you because you're too handsome."

Everyone blinked at the princess.

"I'm too what?"

"Too handsome," the princess said patiently. "I was prepared for you to be handsome, I suppose. Most humans are fairly comely. But you are just too handsome."

Aleder opened his mouth to respond to his daughter's strange declaration, but she continued.

"And it's nothing to do with how I think about myself, like I think I'm not worthy of such beauty. I know I'm not a pretty troll, especially to a human, but I don't care about that, I never have. At least, not since I realized I wasn't pretty. But you are too handsome."

With that final declaration, she bowed to the entire room and went back up the stairs.

"Was I just accused of being too handsome?" Renaldo asked wonderingly.

"I am sor-" Aleder hastily began, but Queen Marla interrupted with a smile.

"No, no, it is fine. Perhaps we should come back later. We need to return to Umbria. I do not mean to say the wedding is off, but perhaps postponed? Until the prince and princess can sort this out?"

Her tone was hopeful and her smile genuine. Both Aleder and Esmelda breathed a sigh of relief.

"Yes, yes of course," Esmelda said, approaching Marla and clasping her hands. "I believe the best course of action would be to postpone things. Let me talk to Penepé, see what the root of this is. I shall be in touch very soon. Do feel free to come again, of course. We very much want this to work out in everyone's best interests."


	2. Chapter 2

_**A/N: **__Here is the second chapter. Again, no warnings of any sort, and please let me know what you think, funny, silly, stupid, good, sweet, bad, dreadful, whatever._

_Jimli :)_

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**Chapter 2**

The long trip back to the palace in Umbria was quiet.

Renaldo spent the entire time thinking, trying to figure out what Penepé could possibly have meant. Too handsome? That was as ridiculous an idea as he'd ever heard. There was so much more to any given person, human or troll, than merely their handsomeness. He had thought the princess clever enough to realize that.

He smiled wistfully. Princess Penepé. She'd been his friend for as long as he could remember. He'd been delighted when his mother explained that he actually got to marry her one day. He remembered punching the young prince of Latia once when he'd made fun of the idea.

"You _want _to marry a troll?" the prince had said, his little boy's voice nearly squeaking out the word.

Renaldo had nodded, then pulled out a picture of the two of them playing. It was a fine portrait, accurately depicting the young royals surrounded by the prince's toys in the nursery.

The Latian prince, Geppo, had snorted.

"She's even an _ugly _troll!"

Pop! went Renaldo's temper, and Pop! went Geppo's nose.

Much blood and many apologies later, things were eventually mostly smoothed over. Arguments like "boys will be boys" and "I'm sure the healer can sort that nose back out" were hastily bandied about.

Renaldo smiled a little wickedly. Geppo's nose was crooked, possessing a squashed look that marred his otherwise perfect features.

Penepé didn't want to marry him because he was too handsome. Maybe he should let Geppo break _his_ nose. Geppo would gladly agree, Renaldo was sure.

During the month after returning to the palace, Marla and Esmelda exchanged many letters expressing how much each one wanted this marriage to happen. The letters came so frequently, they couldn't even have had time to get to one another for proper responses.

Theodore discussed the options and repercussions of every scenario he could with his top advisors, when not handling the normal affairs of state, and none of them seemed satisfactory.

Renaldo spent his time trying to problem solve.

If Penepé's objection was his handsomeness, he'd just have to do something about that. Damaging himself didn't seem like a good enough solution. Geppo was a good example of that. Yes, his nose looked awful, but he was still considered a handsome prince. Renaldo wanted to be assured that his handsomeness was dropped to a sufficiently low level before presenting himself to his princess again.

Besides, Renaldo knew of many girls in the palace who swooned over the battle-scarred soldiers. That meant getting beaten or cut up was no guarantee of ridding himself of handsomeness.

If the physical means were out, he could try magic, but magic took time to learn, and effort to find what was needed. A complex and lengthy plan like that wouldn't salvage the situation soon enough.

He could try angering a fairy or witch, but there was no guarantee that the resulting curse would make him less attractive.

Still, a witch wasn't a bad thought. He knew that some witches did magic for a price.

So where to find a witch?

A bare three weeks later, he had successfully made his way into Latia, found the witch called Bertha, and posed his problem to her.

She blinked at him.

"You want me to do _what_?"

"I want you to make me an ugly troll," Renaldo answered seriously.

"You are perhaps the first handsome prince I've ever had ask me that," she replied.

She shook her head.

"Let me show you something."

She went to a shelf in the back, rummaged around, and found a bottle with glowing bright blue liquid.

"Now, tell me," she asked. "What am I? What do I look like to you? Be honest."

"You are an old, hunched woman," Renaldo answered hesitantly. "You have spots and warts - those are warts? - and wrinkles."

"In other words, I'm an ugly, old witch, right?"

"I wouldn't-"

"No, I don't suppose you would," she cackled. "Now watch this."

She uncorked the bottle and gulped down the contents. A blue light started from her mouth and traveled down her body, spreading, surrounding her in an eye-watering glow that became too bright to look at.

Renaldo shielded his eyes until the light faded, then gaped at what he saw.

There was a beautiful woman standing before him. She had long flowing hair, bright luminous eyes, and very fetching curves.

"What am I now, handsome prince?" she asked, her voice smooth and rich.

"You are a beautiful young woman," he began.

"No I'm not!" she screeched, gnashing her lovely teeth and tearing at her long hair. "I'm still an ugly old witch!"

She sighed, shaking her pretty head.

"It never deters anyone else, either. All right, here's what I can do for you. There is a girl in the village below my hut. She is a milkmaid, or goose-girl, or some such. She's not much to look at, and she wanted me to turn her into a beautiful princess. Has some notion of marrying the prince."

"The crown prince of Latia has a wife," Renaldo frowned.

"Nay, not the crown prince, the one with the squashed nose," she negated. "Never mind that. Here's the important thing. I siphoned off her ugliness, but I couldn't make her beautiful because I didn't have the beauty just lying around."

"What about the potion you took?"

"Nay, nay, prince. That is one of the peculiarities about magic. What I do to myself, and what works for me, will do so only for me. What I do for others won't work for me. It is a complicated law of magic I need not explain to princes wanting to be trolls. What I need from you is to take your beauty to her when I extract it from you. In exchange, I'll give you the ugly I siphoned from her."

"So if she is not ugly, nor beautiful, what is she right now?"

"Nothing of course. She is plain, ordinary. Simple math, prince."

She had been rummaging around her books while giving this speech and had apparently found what she had been searching for.

"Now, have a seat, prince; this will take a while."


	3. Chapter 3

_**A/N: **__All right, here is the third chapter of this tale. Again, no warnings, and again, please let me know what you think!_

_Jimli_

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**Chapter 3**

As the sun was setting, a lumpy figure, heavily cloaked, could be seen coming from the witch's hut. It stopped at a small cottage in the village, gave a small bottle with a peachy colored liquid in it to the farmer's daughter, exchanged a few words with her, and made its way out of the village towards the king's highway.

Renaldo met up with the coach and bade him to head straight to Princess Penepé's palace in Trova.

When he arrived, he was received by King Aleder in a warm welcome.

"I'd like to meet with the princess, please," Renaldo said in his new gravelly voice.

King Aleder was puzzled by Renaldo's presence. He had not removed the heavy cloak he had arrived in, and he sounded dreadful, like he had a severe head cold.

Still, he was here, wanting to see the princess, so the princess was sent for.

When Penepé came down, Renaldo removed his cloak, revealing himself.

Aleder and Penepé blinked at him.

Instead of being a tall, lithe, handsome human, he was a short, lumpy troll, and not even an attractive one.

He smiled, or at least attempted it, although considering the looks he received from the royals, he wondered at its effectiveness.

"My dear Princess Penepé, you said you refused my hand in marriage because I was too handsome. I considered your words carefully and found a witch who changed me. I hope that this is more pleasing to you, that you will now accept my hand in marriage."

Penepé frowned at him.

"You altered you appearance by magic so you could marry me? Why would you do that? I hope you can get it undone, because I can't marry someone who would change who he is just to marry someone."

"I don't think I can, actually. I bartered my handsomeness to a girl who wanted to become a beautiful princess so she could marry a prince. It would be cruel to ask her to give it back. Besides, the witch said I was still me."

"I'm sorry, but I'm still not going to marry you."

Renaldo sighed as he watched Penepé go back upstairs. He bade Aleder a warm farewell, climbed back into his waiting carriage, and went home, all the while trying to solve the riddle of winning over Princess Penepé's heart.

She now refused him because he tried magic to win her over. He couldn't undo the magic entirely, but perhaps Bertha would at least siphon the ugly back off.

He frowned.

No, that wouldn't be any better; it would still be using magic to alter himself.

As soon as he returned to the castle and the servants got a good look at him, there were other repercussions to his ill-fated attempt at Penepé's heart.

The kingdom was in an uproar over the prince's transformation.

Renaldo explained the whole truth to his parents, but the royals decided to keep the details to themselves. After all, not only did they not want to worry the people over the shaky status of the betrothal, but they did not want Penepé or her family blamed.

An announcement was made that Renaldo had been altered by a witch's spell (true), and that though it was irreversible (mostly true), the prince was, in fact, still Renaldo underneath (true).

Unfortunately, some very determined, too-clever folks did enough digging to find out which witch was responsible, and quite before Bertha knew what was what, she found herself presented unceremoniously to Theodore and Marla.

Despite all the reassurances from the royals, Bertha was "convinced" by the angry mob to change Renaldo back.

She compromised, arguing that she could remove his ugliness, if not restore his handsomeness, and the mob begrudgingly accepted this.

Once Renaldo was plain, the mob went back to their ordinary lives, almost dejectedly, and Bertha drank a mysterious pink potion that made her disappear with a puff of salmon-colored - and scented - smoke.

Renaldo checked his appearance in the mirror.

His dark complexion was less even, with strange undertones, his eyes were a flatter blue, and his hair a mousier, duller shade of brown, but otherwise, he looked basically as he had.

Once again, he made the trip to Trova, and once again presented himself to Penepé.

She eyed him disappointedly, then shook her head.

"You used your royal position to worm your way out of the magic?"

"No, dear princess, that was not my intent at all! A few of my subjects figured out where I had gone and brought the witch, to coerce her into reversing what she'd done!"

"But you did not use your position to stop them," she accused flatly.

"I tried, but they remained unswayed."

"Your subjects do not respect your authority and power. I cannot marry a weak, timid prince."

With that, she went back upstairs.

Aleder was horrified. Penepé had gone from mere polite refusal to obstinate insults!

Renaldo was far too heartbroken to even notice the king's reaction.

"Thank you, for once again humoring me, Your Majesty. I shall return to my kingdom once more."

"Prince, I'm sure that we can yet figure this out-"

Renaldo shook his head softly.

"I'm not sure we can, but I thank you for your words. If you would but do me the favor of not announcing the wedding is off until I can return home?"

"No, no, of course not! In fact, I will delay the announcement until I receive an explicit letter from you saying otherwise!"

Renaldo nodded at the king's considerate proclamation, but secretly Aleder was trying to delay such a thing at all costs.

His kingdom needed this alliance as much as Renaldo's did.

On the long way home, Renaldo half-heartedly tried to solve the problem of winning over Penepé, but mostly, he nursed his broken heart.

Renaldo was trying to compose Penepé's refusal so it could be announced to the kingdom, but he took the example of Bertha to heart. He didn't want the people of Umbria to turn on her, verbally or physically, as they had the witch whose identity they hadn't even known.

If he said she had broken it off, they would surely react badly. Despite Penepé's thoughts, Renaldo was sure that the people had found the witch and coerced her into reversing the spell out of love for him.

They could have been selfish, not wanting a troll prince, but he believed if that were the case, they would have stopped at nothing but a full restoration.

It wouldn't be precisely truthful to say he'd broken it off, though, and Renaldo tried to be an honest man.

He didn't see how he could be a decent, honest, good king if he weren't a decent, honest, good man first.

Still, Aleder said he'd wait until Renaldo sent a letter before making the announcement in Trova. Perhaps that counted enough.

He drafted a proclamation announcing his withdrawal of his intentions towards Penepé of Trova, sent a letter to Aleder, and waited until he received a very disheartened reply before making the announcement.

There were more than a few grumbles amongst the people, but no one did anything as drastic as dragging the princess to court for an accounting.

It was the small victories in life that mattered.


	4. Chapter 4

_**A/N: **__Chapter four, I hope everyone enjoys this._

_Thanks to the two readers who have left reviews, and to those who favorite, follow, and read. But I'd love to hear more thoughts on the story. (hint, hint)_

_Jimli :D_

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**Chapter 4**

Prince Renaldo then wrote a letter to a friend and cousin, a young man he'd made acquaintance with on his recent family reunion tour.

They had a lot in common and had become close in the brief time Renaldo had been at his cousin's manor. Before parting, Prince Garund had insisted that Renaldo come visit whenever he could, and now, trying to heal his broken heart, Renaldo decided to take him up on that offer.

A little less than a month later found him at the manor of the small principality Garund ruled over, being joyfully jerked out of his carriage by his enthusiastic cousin.

"My men-at-arms saw the emblem on your carriage, so I had to come greet you personally!"

Garund's beaming smile quickly faded, replaced by a frown.

"Say, you seem a little different. Something happen?"

"I can tell you about it later. Right now I'd like a bath and some tea," Renaldo replied.

"Certainly!"

Renaldo came out of his bath refreshed and just in time for tea. Garund spent little time in pleasantries before worming the entire story out of his cousin.

"After making the announcement, I decided to write you. I just couldn't stand the thought of moping around the castle. I was afraid I might try some other desperate and doomed plan to win her over."

"I don't think there's anything wrong with doing your utmost to please her. It's obvious how much she means to you. As crown prince and the contracted, you could have forced the issue, made her live up to the arrangement, you know."

Renaldo looked at his cousin sharply, but then nodded.

"Yes, but I didn't want to do that to her," he answered simply.

"Exactly how much _does_ Penepé mean to you? You love her, don't you?"

"It could have been, I suppose. Love isn't usually something royalty or nobility usually gets to indulge in, so I guess it shouldn't matter."

"But it does, because you do."

Garund smiled at his glum friend.

"Tell you what. All those wonderful sights I didn't have time to show you before? Let's see them all! We can start with the Rainbow Falls in Fairy Gorge. Those restorative waters can even fix your plainness!"

"Penepé-"

"Hasn't a right to complain about what you do or don't. She made her decision, and it should be obvious that nothing is going to change her mind."

Renaldo winced but nodded. Garund was right, of course.

Starting with the fabled falls, which did fully reverse the last effects of Bertha's work, they took a tour of everything within Garund's principality, which was only a little larger than the castle town in which Renaldo lived.

Garund had a story, legend, or tall tale about everything it seemed, and Renaldo was hard-pressed to say what, if any, of it was true.

They had made the most of the tour, lingering over places, camping out every night, staying in the barns of the few people Garund 'ruled'. This part of the kingdom was mostly wilds, with a few small farms sparsely scattered.

They made their way back to the manor eventually, of which Renaldo was also treated to a thorough tour.

In the warm company of his cousin, Renaldo started to feel better, and when he finally departed for Umbria a month later, he was in much higher spirits.

"Renaldo," Garund said seriously as he escorted him to the waiting carriage. "This business with Penepé, I understand how much she means to you."

Renaldo started to protest, but Garund cut him off.

"Nay, Renaldo, don't tell me you are over her. She still means a great deal to you."

Renaldo nodded.

"I know you won't like this advice, but I suggest having a big ball to celebrate your return. I'm sure your mother will love the idea, most women in our family do! Have a large party, invite available girls from all over. Dance, have fun, talk, laugh. Find one who _does_ want to be your princess and make arrangements with her family. Arrange to court her if that pleases the two of you. Despite everything else, you do still have the princely duty of marrying and producing future heirs."

"As you have done?" Renaldo asked, frowning.

"I told you that you would not like this advice," Garund reminded him. "No one is depending on me to marry and sire offspring. I'm a mere fourth prince, kindly given a small portion of my father's former kingdom by an older brother who dotes on me. My niece will be queen, and if I never give her cousins, her children are welcome to reabsorb this principality. You, however, are the crown prince and sole heir to Umbria."

Renaldo nodded again, knowing Garund spoke only the truth.

"At least think it over on the way back," Garund finished.

"I will. I know you're right, cousin. Expect an invitation to this party yourself."

"I don't want you to spend the time with me instead of your future wife and queen. Make it easy on yourself and just let Queen Marla make the arrangements, especially the invitations. She'll want to anyway, and I'm sure she'll be thinking along the same lines."

"It is good, sound advice. I'll send you an invitation anyway, so that you know I've kept my word."

Renaldo climbed into the carriage, bid Garund a final farewell, and headed back to Umbria, thinking over everything his cousin had said.

When he arrived, he warmly greeted his parents and asked Marla to begin arrangements for a large celebration.

"In honor of my homecoming, mostly, but I would like for you to especially invite available, suitable women. I would like to have time to court another young lady before marrying her. I also promised an invitation to Prince Garund."

Marla was delighted over the request. She had wanted to do that very thing and had been afraid that Renaldo would balk.

She quickly got to work, commandeering the assistance of every available record keeper to find every available, suitable girl that could be found. She even remembered Penepé, though she doubted the Trovan princess would come. Still, it wouldn't do to leave her out.

True to Renaldo's request, she also sent an invitation to Garund, along with a letter thanking him. No doubt his advice had led to Renaldo's decision.

Pity Garund wasn't a woman. He had such a good head on his shoulders.

In a week, she had lists upon lists, and had already set the palace's scribe to work filling in as much information as could be known on the invitations. After consulting with the accountants, mathematics experts, and that strange gaffer who performed outstanding feats with number problems at the local fairs, she came up with a date that would allow time for all the invitations to be done, sent, and received, and give even the most distant invitees time to arrive.

Three months hence, there would be a short series of balls to top them all, with every girl there (hopefully) vying for Renaldo's affections.

It was good to be the queen, Marla mused.


	5. Chapter 5

_**A/N: **__The next chapter, five. I hope you all enjoy the story!_

_Jimli :)_

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**Chapter 5**

The balls were better than Renaldo had been afraid they'd be.

Yes, the girls there were rather looking at him as though he were a prized specimen of livestock, but he found some that were not only tolerable, but pleasant.

One such girl he recognized, though she didn't know him.

It was the farm girl he'd given his beauty to.

She was on the arm of Geppo. As a matter of politeness, and since the balls were ostensibly for his homecoming, Marla had thought it prudent to invite the neighboring dignitaries _en masse_.

The girl looked less thrilled about being on Geppo's arm than he did about having her.

Renaldo smiled at her, sweeping her off into a dance before Geppo could protest.

"I see your plan worked, Emily," he commented.

Her eyes widened.

"My name isn't Emily! It's Princess Mileena!"

"It was Emily when an ugly troll gave you a bottle of his beauty, courtesy of Bertha."

She looked relieved.

"Oh. You don't look much like a troll anymore."

"It's a long story. You seem unhappy."

"Well, it's just," she bit her lip before continuing, "Prince Geppo is a very handsome prince. So maybe not the nose, but if a squashed nose is the only mark you get after taking on a troll-"

Renaldo laughed. "Is that what he tells people? Well, it's half true, I suppose. I punched him in the nose when we were young. I only recently looked like a troll."

"Why would you punch him?"

"He made fun of my intended bride, and I didn't understand the finer details of diplomacy."

She frowned. "There is a rumor going around that these balls are more for you to find a bride than your return, but why would you be looking for a bride if you have one arranged?"

"Our arrangement fell apart."

"Because you got turned into a troll?"

"I didn't get turned into a troll, I merely assumed the shape of one. I was still me underneath."

"Just like I'm still a farm girl underneath, not really a princess," she added glumly.

"When Geppo marries you-"

"I'm not sure I want him to. I even thought about telling him I'm an ugly farm girl instead of a princess. I haven't had an opportunity to see Bertha again, to ask her to take the beauty away. I can't do _anything_. The prince insists that everything that I want to do will spoil my looks. I can't go for walks or swim or go on picnics or ride a horse. I didn't know being a princess was so boring!"

"I have a cousin that would disagree. She's a little younger than you are, but certainly does all of those things. She even rides from her father's palace to her uncle's principality-"

"Talking about my niece are you, Renaldo?" Garund's cheerful voice sounded.

Renaldo was surprised.

"I didn't think you'd come."

"I wanted to make sure you actually took my advice instead of coolly moping around the room all evening."

"Princess, this is my cousin, Prince Garund of Lepia. Garund, this is Princess Mileena-"

"My name is really just Emily, and I'm not princess of anything, except my father's house," she said softly, her eyes never leaving Garund's face.

"If every man is king of his own castle, then you would indeed be a fine princess to have at court," he replied.

Garund's eyes flicked to Renaldo.

"Might I steal your lovely princess for the rest of this dance?"

Renaldo nodded and wandered over to the refreshments.

"You don't seem to be enjoying yourself as much as your friends," a soft voice said.

He looked over, catching sight of a lovely girl as tall as he, with golden eyes and flowing black hair. She had a round face, and a strong build, but had very soft curves under her pale orange dress.

He smiled at her.

"It is hard to have as much fun as a pair who have fallen for each other so quickly."

"Do you believe in love at first sight?" she asked, wrinkling her lovely nose. "I think it sounds like a fairy tale."

"I do," he confirmed. "If Garund and Mileena are not proof enough, I can add my own testimony. I fell for a very lovely girl myself, upon my first meeting her."

"Indeed? Then why seek a bride? Did something happen? Was she not worthy of the crown prince?"

She seemingly caught herself and blushed very prettily.

"I am sorry, Prince Renaldo. That was very forward of me, and it is not my place to ask."

"It's all right," he smiled. "No, things simply did not work out, and as I _am_ crown prince, I need to find someone instead of chasing after the unattainable."

"Beautiful things are very hard to acquire," she agreed.

"Forgive me, but I do not recall your name," Renaldo said, frowning.

"Nell. I come from a modest country not far from here."

"Have we met before, Nell? You seem a little familiar to me."

"Briefly, while you were touring through the lands."

"Yes, that must be it. I met so many more people then than I can ever remember."

"Tell me what crown princes do, besides touring foreign countries, matchmaking, and chasing unattainable beauties," she asked, a slightly teasing note to her voice.

"Smash other prince's noses, alter our appearances, mope in castles, visit belovéd cousins for a month, and argue with angry mobs," he replied.

Renaldo was mildly surprised at how easy he found Nell to talk to. He had spent much of his dignitary trips and this very evening having very awkward, not-brief-enough conversations with many young ladies. This one boldly asked him impertinent questions, teased him with words and tones bordering on mockery, and seemed quite comfortable in his presence.

They spent much of the evening dancing and talking. It was very delightful until she rose and said she must go.

Nothing he said persuaded her to stay, though she did promise to find him the following evening at the next ball.

The next morning, Garund told him all about his evening with Mileena, who had not only told _him_ the truth, but also Geppo.

"His face wadded up in such a way to match his squashed nose! He made a big to-do about exposing her secret, but she didn't seem to care. I invited her to come back this evening. I didn't think you would mind, cousin."

"I don't. I had a fine time myself."

Renaldo told Garund about Nell. Garund nodded in all the right places, and seemed genuinely happy for Renaldo, but he frowned as the prince finished his story.

"I don't recall anyone named Nell in any near country. Granted, I don't have every monarch and noble memorized, but I do know many of them."

Renaldo frowned, but before he could say anything, Garund waved his hand.

"I'm sure it's nothing. Have fun this evening with your new friend."


	6. Chapter 6

_**A/N: **__Here is chapter six. This chapter is a bit long, but it is the last. Please enjoy!_

_Jimli :)_

* * *

**Chapter 6**

Renaldo looked for Nell as soon as the ball started, but she didn't seem to be there. He danced with any girl who asked him, chatted politely with those who spoke to him, and watched happily as Garund and Mileena spent more and more time with each other.

"Once again envying the luck of others?"

Renaldo turned to find Nell smiling at him.

"Nell! I was wondering if you had another more pressing engagement," he answered wryly.

"I broke up my only engagement," she answered playfully, though she seemed a little sad.

"Is that why you don't believe in love at first sight? Your intended was so unimpressive?" Renaldo teased. "I am sorry. Now it is I who is being too forward."

"Turn about, I suppose, but no. Truthfully, he was _too_ impressive. I found that I could not believe his perfection."

"I don't understand," Renaldo frowned.

She smiled. "I told you my kingdom is modest. We have difficult relations with our neighbors. My intended was far too kind, too diplomatic, too beautiful in and out to possibly be real."

"You don't believe in good people? That seems very lonely."

"No, I believe that if it seems too good, it is. Things as wonderful as he seemed to be are never without cost. Modest as my country is, our marriage would have improved things for his greatly. Even if I believed he was as great as he seemed, I could not believe that it was me he was truly interested in."

"He was a fool if he wanted what you could do for him over you yourself, Nell."

"You are too kind," she replied smiling.

"Shall I be meaner, so that you believe my sincerity?" Renaldo teased.

"How about we dance?"

He took her onto the floor and they danced, talking about inconsequential things until she became somewhat serious again.

"So Prince Renaldo, I told you about my broken engagement. Shall I be impertinent and ask you about your lost lovely?"

He laughed. "We had been engaged at a young age, and we had many play dates as children. Just before we were to make our engagement truly official, I toured around the lands with my family. After, I insisted on seeing her. I had thought of little but her, truthfully. When we arrived, she rejected me. I tried to win her over, but all my efforts failed."

She frowned.

"You said you lost a beauty. Everyone knows you were engaged to the ugly troll princess," she accused.

"I do not find Penepé ugly. I never have. Geppo's nose can surely attest to my feelings about Princess Penepé's beauty."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean that Penepé is the most beautiful princess I have ever known. She was my best friend as a child. When Geppo and I were still young, he ridiculed her and my desire to marry her, and I broke his nose. Finding out as a young prince that I got to marry Penepé was one of the best days of my life. Finding out she did not reciprocate my feelings, and that nothing I did could change her mind was the worst. As I told you before, though, I decided that I had to give her up, to do my duty as crown prince by marrying and providing an heir."

"You're lying," she accused flatly.

He pulled from her, frowning. "I'm sorry you believe that, Nell. I believe I have other guests to speak with, if you will excuse me."

He walked away, leaving her on the floor glaring after him.

Nell went outside to a secluded part of the garden. She pulled a small, softly glowing stone from her pocket.

"No, it can't be true. I was certain, so certain. I came here to find the truth, to find out why he did all those extreme things. It can't really be because he wants to be married to an ugly troll princess, can it?"

"Why ever not?" came a merry male voice.

Nell jerked to find the prince's friend, Garund, and his new companion Mileena nearby.

"Who would ever want to marry a troll?" Nell asked incredulously.

"Penepé didn't," Mileena answered. "Renaldo tried that. And Geppo wouldn't, but I don't think any self-respecting troll would want that squashed-nose toad."

"Do you know the trolls of Trova, Miss Nell?" Garund asked curiously. "Renaldo told me about the royal court, the people he'd met, and especially Princess Penepé when he stayed in Lepia with me. He said they were like every other country and people he'd ever met. Some good, some harder to deal with. He said the royal family, King Aleder, Queen Esmelda, and Princess Penepé were very good people. Good people, good rulers. I could wax eloquent like he did, but we'd be in this garden until sunup and beyond."

He smiled. "My point is, Miss Nell, whatever you think about trolls, Trova, and Princess Penepé, Renaldo is being perfectly sincere in his thoughts. Why believe me? Go find Renaldo and ask him. Ask him to describe Penepé. That alone should last until well past midnight."

With that, Garund gave Mileena's waist a squeeze and led her off, chatting happily with her about an old barn in Lepia that was home to a very cranky owl.

Nell studied the glowing rock for a moment, then tucked it back into her pocket before going to find Renaldo.

Prince Renaldo was dancing with his mother, Queen Marla, and she excused herself politely as Nell approached.

Nell dipped into a curtsey.

"Prince Renaldo, I wish to apologize for my harsh words. Would you be so kind as to accept? And perhaps answer yet more impertinent questions?"

He smiled, bowing in return. "I may even have a few impertinent answers."

"You say that the princess is a beauty. Perhaps you could describe her to me?"

"Trolls are taller than humans as a rule, and Penepé is tall even for a troll. She is broadly built, clearly not a weak, soft girl unable to do for herself. Her face is shaped like an upside-down heart, she has dark hair, though I couldn't say how fine or coarse it is. It doesn't shine; instead the color is deep, like looking into the depths between the stars. Her mouth is turned down, but has this natural quirk on the left side, like she's always hiding a smile. Her eyes, though, are her most interesting feature. The right one is large and luminous, a vivid green. The left one is smaller, and a fascinating yellow color. It makes her look as though she's always thinking of something cunning or crafty. Her appearance matches her sense of humor, sweet and yet slightly devious."

Nell was frowning.

"I've seen the princess before. I know your description is accurate, but the way you describe her features makes her seem the beauty you say she is."

"I am only telling you the truth," he defended.

"And I should do the same," Nell said firmly.

She pulled the stone from her pocket and smashed it to the floor. As the glow died from the fragments, Renaldo looked back at Nell only to see Penepé instead.

"Princess Penepé?" he asked wonderingly.

"It was only an illusion. I wanted to learn the truth," she explained.

"The truth about what?"

"Why you were so determined to marry me. Why you disappeared after the last time I turned you down. Why you were having these balls. What you were really like."

"I am what I am, Princess. Nothing is any different."

"So I see. Renaldo, I am sorry about not believing you and for deceiving you. It is like I told you, though, I simply couldn't believe in someone who seemed too good to be true. I understand now that you truly are what you seem, a handsome prince, a rare beauty in so many ways. Do you still love me? Do you still want to marry me?"

"Yes, I love you, and yes, I do want to marry you!"

"Then how about we stop using this ball to find you a bride and start celebrating the engagement you had?"

Penepé assumed his enthusiastic kiss meant "yes".

In a few months' time, the newly re-engaged Prince Renaldo and Princess Penepé were visiting the newly wed Prince Garund and Princess Mileena. All four had a great time seeing the sights of Garund's principality, including the wonderful Rainbow Falls in Fairy Gorge, the old barn with the cranky owl, and every nook and cranny of Garund and Mileena's manor.

When spring came, Renaldo and Penepé were married.

Garund and now-expecting Mileena were at the wedding, as well as Garund's brother, King Mergel and his daughter, Dahlia.

Prince Geppo was there, badgered to come by his brother, Crown Prince Kell, who regrettably could not attend. Geppo had a pretty girl with him, a Princess Jennis that Mileena secretly told Renaldo was Ginny, a former neighbor of hers.

"It really won't matter to her how boorish he is, though. She's a bit of a shrew."

Bertha attended, looking beautiful again. Renaldo figured she had done her demonstration for Ginny to no avail.

Relations with Umbria's neighboring countries changed for the better, and much later, when Renaldo and Penepé assumed the thrones, they changed the name of their land to Trovumber.

A little princess was born to them, and they named her Nellya. She had dark brown hair, one green eye and one blue eye, and a wide smile.

The Umbrian people who had been so quick to defend their prince were equally enthused about protecting their new queen and princess, and all four retired royals thoroughly enjoyed being grandparents.

It was, all-in-all, a happily ever after all around, not to mention Nellya's favorite bedtime story.


End file.
